1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ball and hitch apparatus. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus having a quick change ball connector and removable and rotatable stud attached to the ball connector.
2. Prior Art
Generally, the prior art teaches a multitude of ball hitch connectors or ball hitches for use with a ball hitch socket for connecting a vehicle to be towed, such as a trailer, to a towing vehicle, such as a car, truck or tractor. Typically, a conventional ball and socket-type hitch usually includes a spherical body also referred to as a ball connector or ball, that is adapted for attachment to a draw bar or tow bar of a towing vehicle. The tongue or hitch of the trailer or other vehicle to be towed is equipped with a socket adapted to fit over the spherical body or ball connector and includes movable and lockable jaws adapted to tighten under the spherical body to prevent the socket from being removed therefrom during towing operations. Such ball and socket hitch devices are relatively safe; they are easy to connect and disconnect, and they provide a hitch connection in which the tongue or hitch of the towed vehicle can pivot to a considerable extent in any plane about the hitch connection point. However, as the art has developed there have been many improvements in this basic concept.
For example, the prior art teaches ball and socket hitches with interchangeable ball connectors. This allows the ball to be changed to fit variable size sockets on the hitch or tongue of the vehicle to be towed. An interchangeable ball hitch of this type is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,406 to Van Vleet. In the Van Vleet patent, the spherical body is held onto a connector which includes a support base which has an upwardly extending stub shaft. The stub shaft has a bore extending inwardly from an outer surface of the stub shaft. The ball hitch connector is held in place on the shaft by means of a latch pin which is insertable through the bore of the stub shaft. The ball hitch socket is then positioned over the spherical body to hold the latch pin in a locked position.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,433,324 to Smith, there is disclosed an internally releasable attachment mechanism to releasably attach a ball connector to a support base. The releasable attachment mechanism includes a latch pin slidably positioned in a transverse bore and biased outwardly by a spring positioned in the bore behind the latch pin.
It is to be thusly, appreciated the prior art has addressed the problem of a replaceable spherical body or ball for a ball and hitch apparatus, in the event that the spherical body is an improper size, or demonstrates improper wear. However, the problems of securely fastening the spherical body to a central stud in such a manner as to provide additional security in the event that the pin fastening the spherical body to the stud is lost or broken is not readily addressed in the prior art. By the same token the prior art fails to teach the utilization of the shape of the bore of the spherical body and stud as an additional safety or security factor.
Furthermore, no provision is made in the prior art for incremental rotation of the ball hitch assembly for wear resulting at the base of the assembly. It is this to which the present invention is directed.